When I worked as a private chef, my boss’s favorite dessert was banana cream pie. This recipe became his healthy favorite and satisfied his craving while keeping saturated fat and refined sugar in check. My “made with love” pudding tastes lots better than boxed mixes filled with mysterious gobbledygook....

Jack of all trades, master of nothing. That is how I feel about most all-purpose baking mixes. Use them to produce pancakes with additives? I don’t think so. And, how “healthy” are the varieties marketed as such? After years of enduring these inferior products,...